Supported CAD file types for 3D viewer, FAQ & upload tips

The 3D CAD file library & repository supports 3D image rendering in the 3D viewer when you share your designs with the community.

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Tips for 3D viewer compatibility

Tips for 3D viewer file support and compatibility.

Material support: Material support varies by file type. Use .blend or .fbx files are recommended if you want good material support. You can also import your model into Blender & export your own .glb/.gltf file.
Materials/setup: Materials have to be set up correctly. Files that Blender handles must be a principled node connected to the material output. Check the Blender help docs
Meshes: Make sure no meshes occupy the same space. That will cause flickering when you rotate the model in the viewer.
Vertex colors/materials: We support vertex colors and materials. If the material is not valid, the vertex colors will show. If it is, the vertex buffers are multiplied by the material’s base color. We don’t support node groups.
Polycount/textures: Try to keep the polycount and texture sizes as small as possible for performance reasons.
Image rendering issue (.fbx): The 3D viewer will use the real camera, if one exists for your 3D model. If you are getting a grey image, check that you don’t have a poorly placed camera in the scene.
glTF files (.glTF): If you are uploading a glTF file, ensure to include all textures & the .bin file.
Transparency: Transparency is not currently supported for the 3D viewer.

You can try the following steps if you cannot get a 3D viewer & preview generated.

File size: If the file size is over 50MB, it will be skipped. For CAD files, an intermediate file export that happens in the script must also be under 50MB.
Programs: Based on your file type, you can try importing the file into any corresponding programs shown in the table below.
Export/.obj file: If you imported a file into FreeCAD, try exporting the 3D model as a .obj file. If the result is larger than 50MB, that is the issue.

Software	File name	Versions supported	Image rendering
Autodesk FBX / Filmbox / native file	.fbx	Latest	Automatic
FreeCAD / open source / native file	.fcstd	FreeCAD 0.17	Automatic
Blender / open source (.blend) / native file	.blend	Blender 2.93	Automatic
STL / Stereolithography / neutral file	.stl	Latest	Automatic
OBJ / Wavefront Object / neutral file OBJ does not support mesh vertex colors, armatures, animation, lights, cameras, empty objects, parenting, or transformations.	.obj	Latest	Automatic
PLY / Polygon File Format / Stanford Triangle Format / neutral file	.ply	Latest	Automatic
GLB / glTF 2.0 / neutral file	.glb, .glTF	Latest	Automatic
Web3D X3D/VRML2 / Extensible 3D / neutral file	.x3d, .wrl	Latest	Automatic
STEP / STP / Standard for the Exchange of Product Data / neutral file	.stp, .step	Latest	Automatic
IGES / IGS / Initial Graphics Exchange Specification / neutral file	.igs, .iges	Latest	Automatic
DAE files	.dae	Latest	Automatic
BREP/B-Rep / boundary representation / neutral file	.brep	Latest	Automatic
AutoCAD DXF / Drawing Interchange Format / Drawing Exchange Format / neutral file	.dxf	Latest	Automatic
OFF / Object File Format / neutral file	.off	Latest	Automatic
AST / neutral file	.ast	Latest	Automatic
BMS / neutral file	.bms	Latest	Automatic

Software	File name	Versions supported	Image rendering
Autodesk 3ds Max / native file	.3ds, .max	n/a	n/a
BioVision Motion Capture (.bvh)	.bvh	n/a	n/a
Scalable Vector Graphics / the platform only allows importing and is limited to path geometry.	.svg	n/a	n/a
Autodesk Inventor / native file	.iam, .idw., .ipt, .lck	n/a	n/a
Dassault Systemes CATIA / native file	.catanalysis, .catdrawing, .catmaterial, .catpart, .catproduct, .cgr, .model	n/a	n/a
Dassault Systemes SolidWorks / native file	.sldasm., .slddrw, .sldprt, .svpj	n/a	n/a
Siemens NX / native file	.prt	n/a	n/a
Siemens SolidEdge / native file	.asm	n/a	n/a
PTC Creo / native file	.asm, .neu, .prt	n/a	n/a

Contact us to share your feedback and to suggest additional CAD file compatibility for sharing your designs.